There are a considerable range of information sources that you can use to find comparative studies and policy.
The education indexes (BEI, ERIC, AUEI) will provide you with articles, research reports and conference papers focusing on international education.
Comparative education will be your main search term, then you can add terms such as: inclusive education; inclusive schools; mainstreaming; special educational needs; equal education and so on. The references below are only a small sample of the literature available.
You could also look at international organisations such as UNESCO, ECER, Eurostat and so on?
A useful tip when using a search engine to find quality resources is to limit your results to non-profit or academic organisations, for example, "inclusive education" comparative studies site:eu.org. This search restricts your results to non-profit European organisations (site:eu.org).
Or, "inclusive education" comparative studies site:edu. This search limits results to U.S. academic institutions (site:edu).
I hope this helps.
E-librarian
Access to education Comparative
UNESCO
TOWARDS INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS AND ENHANCED LEARNING, R. Govinda - page 51 onwards in English
Inclusive Education
Education for All
INCA
INCA Comparative Tables
Assessment for disabled students: an international comparison
ECER
Finding effective inclusion measures in mainstream education - comparative research in ten European countries - see PDF link at the bottom of webpage printable summary of research paper.
TTRB
Learning by Comparison: International Experiences in Education and Training
Institute of Education library catalogue
(http://ioe.sirsidynix.net.uk/uhtbin/webcat)
Dilemmas of difference, inclusion and disability : international perspectives and future directions. Norwich, Brahm. Publisher: Routledge, Publication date: 2008. ISBN: 0415398460.
Implementing inclusive education : a Commonwealth guide to implementing Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Rieser, Richard, Publisher: Commonwealth Secretariat, Publication date: c2008. ISBN: 9780850928853.
Policy, experience and change : cross cultural reflections on inclusive education. Barton, Len. Publisher: Springer, Publication date: c2007. ISBN: 1402051182.
Policy and power in inclusive education. Rix, Jonathan. Publisher: RoutledgeFalmer, Publication date: 2005. ISBN: 041535210.
British Education Index
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/bei/
NOTE: For information about accessing full text articles please read this TTRB article: Access to full text journal articles
Dilemmas of difference, inclusion and disability: international perspectives on placement. European Journal of Special Needs Education, November 2008, vol. 23, no. 4, p. 287-304, ISSN: 0885-6257. Norwich-Brahm.
"This study is part of a larger international study of the perspectives of 132 education practitioners and administrators in England, the USA and The Netherlands in respect of some dilemmas of difference. Participants in the study included 50 English, 50 US and 32 Dutch professionals and administrators working in special and general school education."
Diversity in convergence: access to education for all. Compare, October 2007, vol. 37, no. 5, p. 577-599, ISSN: 0305-7925. Lewin-Keith-M.
ERIC
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Teachers Coping with Changes: Including Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Classes: An International View. International Journal of Special Education, 2004, vol. 19, no. 2, p. 91-103, pp. 13, 25 refs., ISSN: 0827-3383. Heiman-Tali.
URL: http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ852062
Inclusive Education across Europe: Reflections upon 10 Years of Work from the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education. Childhood Education, Aug 2007, vol. 83, no. 6, p. 361, pp. 5, 31 refs., ISSN: 0009-4056. Meijer-Cor, Soriano-Victoria, Watkins-Amanda.
"The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education is an independent, self-governing organization established in 1996 by member countries to act as a platform for collaboration in the field of special needs education among the 28 member and observer countries. The Agency's ultimate aim is to improve policy and practice for learners with special needs across Europe through debates on inclusive education, equal opportunities, accessibility, and the promotion of quality of education, while recognizing the differences of countries' policies, practices, and educational contexts. The year 2006 marked the 10th anniversary of the Agency. This article aims to present reflections on some of the main developments in the field of inclusion over that period, as reflected in the work of the Agency and its member countries."
Barriers that Prevent the Achievement of Inclusive Democratic Education. Prospects Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, Sep 2009, vol. 39, no. 3, p. 239-250, pp. 12, 0 refs., ISSN: 0033-1538. Garcia-Huidobro-Juan-Eduardo, Corvalan-Javier.
"Inclusive education inherently involves the inclusion of all citizens in a democratic society. Based on this view, questions emerge with respect to equality and integration in educational systems. Although inclusion should be viewed as a requirement in a democratic society, along with the integration in schools of students from different social groups, the concept rarely becomes reality, despite its frequent acceptance in discourse. This article analyzes mechanisms that inhibit agreement on how equality and inclusion can be put into practice in education, taking as an example the case of Chile. One inhibitor is a lack of in-depth discussions about the major tendencies prevailing in contemporary educational systems. In addition, three types of segregation are linked to children's exclusion from schools: charges for educational services, schools' selection processes and the use of economic incentives. Finally, the article presents possible consequences of two pedagogical orientations: towards autonomous schools and flexible curriculum."
Responding to Diversity and Striving for Excellence: The Case of Finland. Prospects Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, Sep 2009, vol. 39, no. 3, p. 281-292, pp. 12, 0 refs., ISSN: 0033-1538. Savolainen-Hannu.
"The implementation of inclusive education has become an internationally accepted goal. In this process a substantial challenge is to simultaneously increase both equality and quality in inclusive education. This article discusses ways of achieving this goal in light of recent research findings which indicate that it is possible to meet both goals at once. The findings of various studies on the Finnish comprehensive school reform, along with recent learning outcomes, support this conclusion. During the comprehensive school era, equality has increased, performance gaps have decreased, and student achievement has improved overall. Possible reasons for this are that Finnish educational policy development has not followed international mainstream trends and that flexible and extensive special education provisions have been built into our school system. Internationally acknowledged requirements for a good education are competent teachers and a school system's commitment to take on the responsibility of educating children of all abilities."
Moving Forward: Inclusive Education as the Core of Education for All. Prospects Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, Sep 2009, vol. 39, no. 3, p. 205-214, pp. 10, 0 refs., ISSN: 0033-1538. Opertti-Renato, Brady-Jayne, Duncombe-Leana.
"This article attempts to shed light on what is meant by the statement that inclusive education is the core of the Education for All (EFA) agenda. Against the backdrop of some fundamental concerns relating to the EFA goals expressed by UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education, the article highlights the necessity and pertinence of inclusive education within the EFA agenda. It also suggests how we can move the concept of inclusive education forward in this context, while illustrating some key features for our understanding of inclusive education as the core of EFA."
